Finding Family
by pikaree1
Summary: Lina Inverse and Gourry Gabriev, forty-something and still looking young. Searching for their son. Natsu Dragneel, seventeen, a Fairy Tail wizard taking a job. A job offer brings the three together- what secret is Xellos (race: monster/mazoku) hiding? Well, one of the secrets, anyway. will they figure it out? 'Cause you readers undoubtedly will in the first chapter. Please read!
1. Chapter 1

**Petal: My first Fairy Tail crossover fic. I think it's awesome, so don't judge.**

**Gourry & Natsu: What's a fanfiction? Is it edible?**

**Lina & Lucy: NO!**

**Petal: I wonder how many people have read and/or watched both these series...**

**Zelgadis: I suppose I'm stuck doing the disclaimer again. She doesn't own Fairy Tail nor Slayers, but she **_**does **_**have several slightly insane theories.**

**Amelia: That's unjust to say that just because you don't think they're plausible!**

**Gray: I can't wait to see how flame brain screws up this time!**

**Natsu: What was that?!**

**Happy: Aye!**

**Erza: Stop fighting.**

**Gray: Um, fighting? Us? Never! We're besties!**

**Natsu: Um, a-a-aye!**

**Wendy: What a long disclaimer...**

**Juvia: Juvia thinks so, too...**

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "I found a new job!"

"What is it?" she asked, grabbing the paper. "Let's see... help a couple find their long-lost son?" She looked up. "This is pretty much impossible, Natsu!"

"But they provide a description!" he pointed out.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

Lucy scanned the paper. "Description...? Ah, here it is. When he was spirited away a week after birth, he had a puff of pink hair, an afinity to fire, and a ravenous appetite?" She glanced up at her partner. "Nah, couldn't be..."

"What couldn't be?" he asked cluelessly.

She sweatdropped. "Nothing..."

Erza glanced at the paper over her shoulder. "A new job, eh? I'll get Gray." She turned to where he was talking to Juvia. "GRAY! GET OVER HERE, NOW! WE'VE GOT A JOB! YOU MAY BRING JUVIA ALONG IF YOU WISH!"

He flushed. "W-Why would I want to bring her along?!"

Erza raised an eyebrow. "You are courting her, are you not?" she inquired.

"N-NO!"

"Be that as it may, the offer still stands. We leave tomorrow at dawn."

* * *

><p>"I wonder where our employers are," Erza muttered. "They are late!"<p>

"C-Calm down, Erza!" Lucy said nervously. Behind her, Natsu and Gray were hugging each other out of fear, sweating profusely. Even if they someday surpassed Erza, they would still be afraid of her.

"We're sorry we're late!" A female voice rang out through the crisp morning air. The group turned to see their employers, a short woman with carroty-orange hair and red eyes and a tall man with long blonde hair. The woman stopped in front of them, panting to catch her breath. "Sorry," she panted. "I'm Lina- Lina Inverse. The blonde over there is my husband, Gourry Gabriev. We're the ones who sent the job."

"Why is your surname different from his?" Wendy wondered.

"That's an easy one!" Lina said brightly. "Y'see, I'm from the west- y'know, the place that had a barrier around it? Anyway, I got a lot of fame under the name 'Lina Inverse', so I didn't want to change it! Plus, I didn't want to spend money on changing my name!"

"And yet you spent a ridiculous amount for the job?" Erza questioned.

"Of course!" Lina declared. "Only the best for _my_ son!"

"Yup!" Gourry agreed.

"I-I've read about you!" Lucy stammered. "You're the infamous Bandit Killer Lina Inverse! Dragon Spooker, occasional Pirate Destroyer, and Enemy of All Who Live!"

Lina's eye twitched. "Was the book written by an old geezer named Inspector Wizer Freion?" she gritted out.

"Yes, why?"

"Oh." Lina waved a hand in the air dismissively. "That guy's out to ruin me, so don't mind the book. I bet he didn't even include all the times I saved my world. Contrary to popular belief, I earned my title of 'Slayer.' Even a monster admitted it, and Xellos's favorite thing to do is bug me."

"You saved the world?" Gray scoffed. "Yeah, right. Just go home, shorty. No one believes you're old enough to be a mom."

In less than five seconds, he was in a headlock. "Now, listen here, stripper," Lina hissed. "I've faced countless monsters, dealt with justice freaks and self-pitying chimeras, saved the world from destruction by the ruby-eyed Shabranigdo-" -this elicited a gasp from Lucy- "-and given birth! You have no right, to lecture me!" She released him. "Alright, let's go!"

"But where's Xellos?" Gourry questioned.

"He'll show up at some point," Lina responded. Upon seeing Team Natsu's confused looks, she explained, "Xellos is an acquaintance of ours who's helping us find him. It's actually his fault we're on this mission. When my kid was about a week old, Xellos spirited him away somewhere. After about two decades of punishment and pleading, we finally convinced him to help us find him again."

"Lina did the punishment, and I did the pleading," Gourry added.

"Alright, first thing's first!" Lina barked. "Let's find the best restaurant in town! The kid definitely inherited Gourry and my appetite, so if he's in this town, that's where he'll be!"

"Oh, that's easy!" Natsu exclaimed excitedly. "C'mon! I'll show you the place!"

"Lead the way!" Lina and Gourry cheered. No one but Erza noticed the wistful glance they threw Natsu.

No one but Lucy noticed the similarities in Natsu and Lina- accidentally destroying stuff, huge appetites, capability of slaying dragons, and a fondness for fire.

No one but Gray noticed another similarity- both of them got on his nerves.

No one but Wendy noticed they had similar presences to Natsu.

And no one but Natsu noticed the weird floating purple-haired guy. Well, except Gourry, but Gourry's a jellyfish-brain.

The whole group set out for the restaurant.

* * *

><p>Far away, Igneel's nose twitched several times. "Strange," he mused. "There are two new scents next to Natsu's, but they're similar. Huh." He glanced at the sky. "This is getting complicated. I hope they make Natsu happy. Good luck, Inverse, Gabriev..."<p>

**Petal: Well? How is it? I hope you like it! Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Petal: So. I finally updated. **

**Lina: Finally. I was starving.**

**Petal: I don't own Slayers.**

**Lina: But I do! I'm their ringleader!**

**Petal: And I don't own Fairy Tail.**

**Makarov: Would you like to? Your magic ability 'Author' is more than strong enough... **_**And I won't have to worry about the damage bills and paper work anymore...**_

The whole gang had finally reached the restaurant and were chowing down on the ham, turkey, venison, chicken, pork, beef, salad, fruit, fish, and whatever other foods you can think of when Lina popped the question. No, not that one. A different one. "So… Natsu, have you ever thought of your birth parents?" she asked.

"Not really," he answered breezily. "I don't even remember them. Besides, Igneel was the one who raised me."

Lina snapped. "Why you little- I gave birth to you! You could at least consider the fact that you have birth parents! And-!"

Xellos landed in front of her, fazing in from the Astral Plane. "Hello, Lina! Are you still mad at me?"

"XEEEEEELLLOOOOOOOOSSSSSS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" she screamed.

"Did you pay attention to a word she said?" Gourry asked Natsu.

"Not really," he responded, scratching the back of his head. "And I already forgot the little I did hear. Something about my birth parents?"

Lina continued beating Xellos to a pulp.

"Hey, Erza... Is she telling the truth? Is she really Natsu's mom?" Lucy whispered suspiciously.

"What are you talking about, Lucy? I heard nothing at all," Erza responded coolly.

"But-"

"**I heard nothing."**

"Y-Yes ma'am..."

"So... where are we going to look?" Natsu asked.

Lina paused. "Good question. Xellos! Where'd you leave him!"

"In a forest!" he responded cheerfully. He couldn't move, but he's a masochist, so he's perfectly fine.

Lina facepalmed. "Know what? We'll just go around Seyruun and search."

Gray snorted. "Oh, please. Like you'll be able to find anyone that way."

Lina put him in a headlock. 'What was that, brat?!"

"What's Seyruun? Is it a restaurant?" Natsu asked cluelessly.

Lina whacked him on the head. "NO, jellyfish junior! It's a well-known kingdom back where I'm from!"

"Ow..."

"L-sama! You're just like Gourry!" she huffed as she swiped a drumstick off his plate.

"H-Hey! My chicken!" he protested, gaping in astonishment.

Lina shrugged. "You weren't eating it, so you must be done," she replied nonchalantly.

His blood boiled. "I'm all fired up! KARYU NO TEKKEN!" he yelled, charging at Lina.

She dodged and shouted, "Fireball!"

He gulped it down. "Now I've got a fire in my belly!" he smirked. No one took food from him. _No one._ "KARYU NO HOKO!"

"Master's gonna kill us," Lucy sobbed.

She Levitation-ed away. "How is it possible for a human to eat fire?!" she wondered aloud.

"He was raised by a fire dragon!" Erza called up matter-of-fact-ly. "He uses Fire Dragon Slaying magic and is capable of eating it!"

Lina grimaced. "Looks like my signature spells are out of the question," she muttered. "But water spells should be more effective than usual. Aqua Create!"

The stream of water jetted from her hands and hit Natsu head-on, extinguishing the fire that was once more exiting his mouth. She cast the spell repeatedly until he was completely soaked, not to mention defeated. "Phew..." Then she turned to Erza. "Now. Could you explain this 'Fire Dragon Slaying magic' thing to me? I've never encountered anybody who could use something like that!"

"It is a type of ability-type magic," Erza explained. "He can eat, breathe, and set any of his limbs on fire."

"Hold it," Lina interrupted, "what's this 'ability-type' thing you're talking about?"

"It is a magic in which the wizard has imprinted in his or her body and can use at any time. There is another type of magic, 'Holder magic', where the wizard uses magical items."

"Come on, shorty, this is basic stuff," Gray taunted. "How can you not know it?"

Lina bristled and Fireball-ed him. "Well, excuse me for not being from here! Things are different where I'm from!"

"Is that why you can do both fire magic and water magic?" Lucy asked.

Lina stared at her blankly. "Those are standard spells that are categorized as shamanistic magic. Even a novice is capable of casting a decent Fireball. If I can invent my own spells, don't you think I can cast basic ones that everyone uses? Oh, and magic-users are known as sorcerors and sorceresses back home."

"I don't understand..." Lucy muttered. "Things really are different, huh..."

Lina shrugged. "Yeah, well, magic evolved differently in the past centuries while the mazoku barrier was up. Almost everyone who was within it was capable of doing magic, but outside the barrier to the north, they could barely cast simple Lighting spells. I guess magic just evolved differently or at a more rapid pace here, but there's a wider variety of magic people inside the mazoku barrier can use."

This set off a detailed discussion of black magic, white magic, shamanistic magic, and other things.

Gourry and Natsu didn't understand a word while Gray pretended he got it.

**Petal: After all that time, what I'm posting is a short filler... I honestly have no idea where to take the plot now...**

**Erza: There, there. *'hugs' her***

**Petal: Owie... By the way, about the pairings, Grayza or Gruvia? Gray was the only one to see Erza cry, but there've been some Gruvia moments as of late... Please review and please answer the question!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Petal: IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII'MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK!**

**Lucy: *half-deaf* What?**

**Petal: Wendy!**

**Wendy: R-Right!**

**Lucy: *is magically healed* Huh?**

**Petal: I said I'm back.**

**Lucy: Oh. Welcome back.**

**Petal: Hey, readers, I'm sorry about the slow updates. I'm warning you now: this story will only be updated about once a month. I don't own Fairy Tail or Slayers! By the way, I've decided that if I end up pairing up Gray in this story, I'm going with Grayza. Sorry, Gruvia people.**

After the whole lunch fiasco was over, the gang began their journey to Seyruun.

"Explain to me again why we're doing this?" Gray griped.

Lina rolled her eyes and hit him with a bunny slipper. "Because I said so, idiot! Besides, he could be anywhere, and there are lots of travelers who pass through Seyruun, so one of them might've heard of my son! Plus, the authoress can't think of anything else."

"Authoress?" the whole group questioned cluelessly.

Lina sighed. "Five... Four... Three... Two... One."

KA-CRACKKKKKKK!

"What was that?!" Lucy yelped, startled. Natsu and Gray assumed fighting stances.

"That was just the fourth wall shattering," Lina said dismissively. "Honestly, I'm surprised you guys even had one."

Then they heard another noise.

"Bwa ha ha ha haaaaaaaa! Good haul, boys, good haul! Lookit all dis gold!"

Lina immediately perked up. "Oooh! Sounds like a bandit gang!" she exclaimed. "Boy, Fiore sure is full of oppurtunities!" She grabbed her husband by his shoulders. "Do you know what this _means_, Gourry?!" she demanded.

He nodded seriously. "Of course! It means that we can beat up all the bandits and pirates here until the bandits and pirates back home get out of the critically endangered zone which should be around the same time this place's bandits and pirates enter it! Also, it'll be good to build a reputation for ourselves here!"

Lina's jaw dropped. "You actually got it right! You're incredibly perceptive today, Gourry!" (A/N: I swear this happened in one episode...)

Natsu leaped up. "So we're basically just fighting all the bad guys that get in our way?" he questioned.

Lina nodded. "In a nutshell. Let's get going!"

* * *

><p>The bandit boss laughed maniacally. "This is the life, ain't it, boys?!"<p>

"Yes, chief!" his underlings chorused.

"Easy prey, bountiful land, a great hideout, and best of all, no Inverse!"

"Yes, chief!" his underlings chorused, this time much more enthusiastic.

"Hold it right there, you bandits! What were you just saying about me?!"

They froze. "Hey, chief..." one of the bandits began nervously, "is that...?"

"C-Couldn't be!" the man stuttered in fear. "We're miles away from her! That's the whole reason we came to this place!"

"Miles away from _who?!_ FIREBALL!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" the bandits screamed like little girls as they tried to dodge the attack that was bigger than them.

"Where do you think you're going?! KARYU NO HOKO!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" they screamed again. Through the smoke and dancing flames, they saw two figures. The first was the woman every bandit has nightmares about. Her cape billowing in the wind, her face shadowed and lit at the same time by the fire, the fangs that had inexplicably appeared in the fourth season glinting, the red color of her hair mixing with the heated hues of the fire, Lina Inverse cut quite an intimidating figure despite her short height. The other was one they'd never seen before. It was a boy, almost a man, really, with bright pink hair. However, that didn't make him any less scary than the woman standing beside him. The light cast on him by the fire that shone off his decidedly sharp-looking fangs, the feral gleam in his eyes, the fire already conjured in his hands, and the scarf that looked like a dragon's scales (which could very well have been a trophy from an earlier victory, the bandits noted) all contributed to the fact that he was strong, intimidating, and dangerous. They both were.

"L-L-Lina I-I-I-I-Inverse?" the bandit boss stammered. "Uh, long time no see. PLEASE DON'T HURT US!" he begged, throwing himself at her feet.

"Aw, that's no fun!" she replied with a grin. "Besides, it would be wrong to let you go unpunished for your unjust actions towards those innocent people you stole from!" Then she paled."Oh, L-sama, I've been spending too much time around Amelia."

Natsu fidgeted, itching for a fight. "C'mon, c'mon, can we fight 'em yet?!" he demanded.

Lina grinned. "Patience is a virtue... BUT NOT RIGHT NOW! LET'S GET 'EM, KID!"

Gourry (who had finally caught up since Lina had Ray Winged and left him behind) joined the battle without so much as a blink of an eye. The bandits were quickly obliterated. I mean, did they even stand a chance? Bandits+A destructive sorceress who's known for beating them up+A master swordsman who's also known for beating them up+A destructive pyromaniac=TOTAL AND UTTER MASS DESTRUCTION. It's simple math, really.

Lina smiled. "That was a good workout!" she declared, stretching. Then she made her way over to the loot pile and started stuffing gold and valuables into her cape.

At that moment, the rest of Team Natsu caught up.

"W-What happened here?" Lucy gasped, noticing all the burnt, unconcious men lying on the ground.

"Natsu, I never really liked you, but to think you'd go to the dark side!" Gray accused.

Erza slowly drew her sword, her eyes nothing but two spots of light shining through a shadow that covered half her face.

Lina hit Gray's head with her bunny slipper again. "Idiot! These are bandits! Gourry and I destroy them for a living! It's time Natsu learned the family trade!"

Gray blinked. "Wait, did you just say fam-"

"No. You must've heard wrong. I said it's time time Natsu learned how to randomly evade!"

"...Huh? That's the best you could come up with? I could swear you said-"

"_**FIREBALL**_."

Despite being an Ice Make wizard, Gray was burned to a crisp. "Geez, you're so violent!" he grumbled, coughing out smoke. "She said 'family trade', right, Erza?"

"Get your ears checked," the redhead ordered. "She said 'randomly evade'."

"But-"

"That is enough, Gray!" she bellowed, turning around and punching him with an armored fist. Then she noticed he was also burned on top of that. "I struck an injured comrade!" she exclaimed in horror. "I must ask one of you to hit me!"

The group's other redhead shrugged. "Sure." BONK!

"Thank you," Erza said while Natsu, Lucy and Happy gaped at her in awe, exclaiming as one, "SHE HIT ERZA?!" The aforementioned girl strode over to Gray, dragged him up, and 'hugged' him. "I am so sorry, Gray!" she exclaimed. "Please forgive me!"

"S'okay," he choked out, struggling to get out of her literally iron grip. Iron grip? Okay, now I've got an image of Gajeel putting Rogue into a headlock in my mind...

Xellos phased in. "Oh, my! Just look at all these bandits! You certainly did a number on them, Lina!" he commented, his typical closed-eye smile on his face.

Lina sighed. "Xellos. What do you want?"

"A lot of things," he answered breezily. "My very own island so I don't have to continue living with my mother-I think I'd call it 'Lone Wolf' or 'Alpha Male' Island- Filia being turned into my mind slave, Amelia forgetting about the 'Life is- ugh- Wonderful' song, a medical license so Zelgadis couldn't protest if I tried to 'cure' him-"

"I'm asking that question seriously, Xellos," Lina interrupted. "And we all know you'd put Zel in a world of pain under the pretense of curing him."

The man simply smiled more widely, opened one eye- his version of a wink- and said his well-known, well-used catchphrase. "Sore wa himitsu desu." Then he phased out, leaving Lina screaming and hollering and all around angry.

* * *

><p>When night fell and after dinner had been eaten- *cough*inhaled*cough*- Lina explained the plan. "Alright, right now, we're here-" she tapped a forest bordering the western outskirts of Magnolia, "-is where we are right now. And here-" she tapped a continent across the sea, "-is where we are headed. This is the continent Server." Noticing their confused looks, she explained, "The authoress had nothing else, and when she typed 'this is the continent', she immediately wanted to add 'Server', like in Digimon."<p>

KA-CRACKKKKKKK!

"The fourth wall broke again," Lucy sighed as she and Wendy went over to it with hammers and nails and wood imagineered by Gollygosh the Pennykettle dragon because normal materials won't work.

"ANYWAY," Lina ground out, "we're going to Konton no Chikyu, a name chosen on a spur of the moment inspiration, and we'll move on to Seyruun, an important, bigshot kingdom there. We'll then go to the palace, say hi to my friend, Princess Amelia, and maybe even have her join us. Then we'll hit all the inns and taverns to ask around and see if anyone's seen my kid. Any questions?"

Lucy raised her hand. "How are we going to get there?" she asked.

Lina beamed at her. "Simple! I'll dazzle a fisherman with my fishing skills, convince him to take us out to sea, and catch fish until some pirates show up! Then we board their ship, take 'em out with as little damage as possible so our ship's intact, and then we sail of to Seyruun!"

"It'll be just like the old days!" Gourry said with a grin. "Except this time, we don't have Wizer hunting us down!"  
>Lina nodded. "Yup. Any other questions?"<p>

Natsu's hand shot up. "I get motion sickness!" he wheezed, looking green at the mere mention of a boat.

Lina tossed him a bottle. "There are motion sickness pills inside that were developed by my friend Zelgadis. Take one every hour when we're on the boat," she advised.

"Zelgadis? Isn't he the Red Priest, not to mention the great-grandson of the previous one?" Lucy gasped, surprised.

Lina nodded. "Yup. He was turned into a chimera, so he ended up covering wide fields of research on his quest to get back to normal. Then he married Amelia, and that's about the time he put all that research to use and developed all sorts of different cures because the hospitals were struggling."

"Did he manage to get back to normal?" Lucy questioned.

Lina grinned. "Did he ever! It's quite comical, really. On his wedding day, when the couple are supposed to kiss, he kissed Amelia, and then he was returned to normal. You'll never guess what he said after that!"

"What? What?"

"He looked her straight in the eye, said 'I love you, Amelia', and hugged her. That was definitely a first! He never hugged her before because his skin was made of stone, so he was afraid of hurting her, but now he can. You know how she reacted? She glomped him! The after-effects of the spell were still lingering, so he didn't end up needing first-aid. He's been training like a crazy person to get his strength back since then..."

Gourry nodded. "Yup. He's taken up challenging Zangulus to fights whenever he and Martina are visiting..."

Lina looked shocked. "Whoa! Gourry! Did you just remember people's _names?!_ Say it again!"

"Say what again?" he asked cluelessly.

Lina sighed. "Never mind... Alright, people, let's get some sleep! Everyone to your tents!"

Wendy reached into her pack-she was in charge of carrying the tents since they were the lightest of the luggage. Erza had brought along her army of bags of food, Natsu was carrying more food, Lucy was carrying her and Wendy's clothes, and Gray was carrying even more food. Lina had everything (money, maps, books, treasure, etc.) stuffed in her cape which was full of seemingly bottomless pockets. Gourry carried nothing but his sword, scrap metal, and whatever is needed to make or fix a sword. I'm sure he had a jellyfish in there somewhere, too...

But we're getting off track!

"Of course we are!" Lina barked. "Get to the point, newbie!"

Quiet, Lina! I can turn you into the perfect lady if I want! Sure, I'll probably get angry reviews like I'm gonna get for including this pointless argument just so the chapter will be longer, but still!

Ahem, anyway, Wendy piped up, "U-Um... We only have four tents. We're going to have to share."

Lina immediately took charge. "Me and Gourry have dibs on the orange tent- it's the biggest, and Gourry's the tallest one here. Natsu and Lucy get the red tent. The droopy-eyed idiot is sharing the green tent with Erza. Wendy and the cats get the blue tent."

"But we're not cats!" exclaimed Carla. "We're _exceeds!_"

Lina immediately crouched down to eye level. "A talking cat! I wonder how much I can sell it for!"

"Carla!" Happy yelled, diving in and grabbing his friend before flying off to the top of a nearby tree.

Lina's eyes widened. "And they fly, too! That should double the price!"

"Hey! You can't sell Happy and Carla!" Natsu shouted in rage.

"Yeah! They're our friends!" Wendy added.

"Relax, I'm just kidding," Lina explained before muttering to herself, "Darn it, there goes a business oppurtunity..."

"Does anyone have any problems with this?" Gourry asked cheerfully.

Lucy's hand shot up. "I do! Why do I have to be in the same tent as Natsu?! Couldn't I share with Erza or Wendy?!'

"No," Lina replied. "Natsu and Gray would kill each other while we were sleeping, and Carla probably wants to sleep in Wendy's tent. She seems to be her guardian."

"Of course I am!" Carla huffed. "I've been watching over her since the day I hatched!"

Natsu frowned. "But then you'd be a kid yourself!"

"Was not! I hatched fully formed!"

"But when Happy hatched, he looked like a kitten!" (A/N: Anyone read that chapter? Little Happy was so cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute! X3)

"Uh..."

"For L-sama's sake, stop arguing and go to sleep!" Lina snapped. "ALL OF YOU!"

Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Happy scuttled off in fear-they had seen her hit Erza. Erza, Wendy and Carla just went to their tents because they were normal human beings and needed their rest. Wait, that's wrong. It's because they were a normal knight, dragon-like person, and exceed and needed their rest.

Everyone settled down in their tents and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>"Ugh... No... Please...!"<p>

Lina was awoken by someone's crying. Quietly, she sat up, went outside, and peeked into the other tents. She knew Gourry was sleeping like a log, Erza and Gray seemed to be having a snoring contest, Wendy had the two exceeds sleeping beside her head (thus protecting her ears with their fur), and Happy and Carla had their ears flattened down.

When Lina crept into the red tent, she realized the sounds were coming from Natsu who was thrashing in his sleep. Lucy had stuffed earplugs into her ears and was curled up, snoozing in one corner of the tent. Lina guessed that Natsu had a tendency of snoring and moving around in his sleep, possibly punching anyone who got too close. She was hesitant to take that risk, but hey- she needed her sleep, and she wouldn't get it if Natsu kept on making noise. "Hey, kid," she whispered, poking him lightly. "Wake up!"

His only response was a whimper.

Lina sighed and went closer, intending to shake him awake, but then she realized their were tears running down his face. "Hey... Natsu?"

He continued crying, and she could now make out words. "Igneel... Stop... Where are you going...? No... Please... Please don't go... Igneel..."

Lina stopped, undecided. No mother wanted to see her child crying... ...I think... and Lina was (hopefully) no exception. Then again, the reason Natsu was crying was probably because he was having a nightmare about the day his adopted father- who had been there for him his whole life, _raised him- _left. The sobs began to get louder, and Lina made up her mind. She was going to do something _extremely_ uncharacteristic of her. You might want to cover your eyes or skip this part or something.

Slowly, hesitantly, she moved closer to him, lifted him up slightly, and hugged him, resting his head on her shoulder. "Calm down, Natsu. It's in the past. Shh, shh, quiet, there's no need to cry..." Inwardly, she was nearly fainting, those words sounded so strange coming out of her own mouth. She could see Amelia saying those words, and Filia, and Sylphiel, and maybe even Gourry, but her? She was the opposite of motherly. Plus, Natsu was almost grown. Then again, he was crying, she was his mother, and she had been missing for most of his life. Might as well make up for lost time. She just sat there, hugging her son (who happened to be taller than her) and rubbing his back soothingly until his tears subsided. When the tears were nothing more than paths of salt on his face, she moved to set him back down onto his sleeping bag, but was surprised to notice that he was gripping her tightly. She sighed and sat down. She couldn't go anywhere without waking him up, and that was the last thing she wanted to do. Luckily for her, by the time she nodded off, Natsu hadn't moved even once, seemingly at peace.

**A/N: Now we see it from Natsu's point of view! 8D**

"No... Please...!" a child version of Natsu wailed, running after the retreating form of Igneel. "Igneel, stop! Where are you going? No! Please... Please don't go...! Igneel..." He collapsed onto the ground in tears, watching his adoptive father getting farther and farther away. "No... Igneel..." he sobbed. Then, he felt a warming presence (A/N: O.o warming presence? Okay, now you can really tell I have a strange, strange mind...). A figure of a woman was now in front of him. The person was hazy and hard to see, but he instinctively ran to her. She picked him up and hugged him. "Calm down, Natsu. It's in the past. Shh, shh, quiet, there's no need to cry..." She rubbed his back soothingly and he continued to sob in her arms, letting out all the sorrow and regret, seeking the comfort she gave him. Slowly, his tears started to dry, and his sobs became quiet until they stopped altogether. The figure made as if to put him down, but he clung to her, not wanting to let go. He was seventeen, but he needed to satisfy the child in him. He was in the form of his seven-year-old self, and he needed to satisfy his desire for a mother. The woman eased herself onto the ground and sat there, the little boy in her lap.

**A/N: The end of Natsu's dream!**

Woman and boy slept in silence, one understanding a mother's desire to protect, the other understanding what it meant to even have one.

Xellos smiled from where he was watching. "My, my, how touching," he said cheerfully. "I'm actually _glad_ Mistress ordered me to take Lina's child and give him to the fire dragon. How fitting; the son of a Dragon Slayer becomes a Dragon Slayer himself, but taught in the more ancient arts... The dragons are not dead yet, though. It was a miscalculation, but the entertainment it has lead to will no doubt be amusing..." Then he suddenly turned green. "Oops. It appears the anti-positive-emotions pill has worn off. It's time to take my leave." He gathered his strength and phased over to a funeral.

* * *

><p>Igneel smiled. "Well, well. Looks like Natsu finally knows how it feels to have a mother," he said.<p>

Grandeeney glared at him. "You mean you're okay with this?! You raised him! Now you're just going to hand him over?!"

Igneel laughed, but it was melancholic. "He was never mine. He thought it, I wished it, but he was never mine. He is hers, and always will be."

Metallicana looked up from where he was feasting on some cast off Heart Kreuz armor (probably one of Erza's old ones). "Igneel, are you feeling okay?" he asked, disturbed.

Igneel grinned. "Well, this chapter's been pretty serious, so I thought I'd end it serious!"

Grandeeney whacked him on the head with her tail. "Idiot! That wasn't seriousness; that was nonsense!"  
>Igneel and Grandeeney started arguing about the validity of what Igneel's supposed finishing line while Metallicana decided to be smart and ate somewhere else.<p>

**Petal: Yeah... This chapter was kinda serious...**

**Lucy: Look on the bright side! It was longer than your usual chapters!**

**Petal: I guess. What'd you think?**

**Lucy: I think Lina acted very strange...**

**Petal: Yeah...**

**Wendy: Please review to tell us what you thought of this chapter!**


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